Justice Minister Radu Marinescu said on Thursday that mercenary Horatiu Potra will be brought to Romania more swiftly if it is confirmed that he does not oppose extradition and agrees to surrender.
"We are not aware of Potra arriving today (on Thursday - editor's note). We know that Mr. Horatiu Potra and his associates, internationally wanted by Romania, are under arrest and that extradition proceedings are underway. If the information is confirmed that, through his lawyers, he has made it clear that he does not oppose extradition and agrees to be handed over to Romania, this means that the proceedings will be sped up, because it is no longer necessary for a judge to examine a possible opposition to extradition and, thus, Mr. Potra and his entourage will be brought to Romania more quickly," Marinescu told broadcaster Antena 3 CNN.
Horatiu Potra's lawyers announced on Thursday that he wants to "voluntarily" return to Romania from Dubai, where he left after being indicted in the case that also includes former presidential candidate Calin Georgescu.
On September 29, Horatiu Potra, his son, Dorian Potra, and another family member were detained in the United Arab Emirates, pending extradition proceedings.
Potra's lawyers claim that he wants to return to Romania because he wants "to face the charges and clear his name."
"The decision to surrender is proof these people have nothing to hide. As defenders for the Potra family, we wish to inform the public that our three clients have made the decision to voluntarily return to Romania and surrender to the authorities, in order to be tried by Romanian courts. This decision is not an imposed one, but an assumed gesture of dignity and courage, by people who wish to openly prove their innocence before the Romanian justice system," said lawyers Christiana Mondea and Serban Moga, adding that Potra has never evaded criminal prosecution, and that at the time the arrest warrant was issued, he was already in Dubai, where he lived and worked legally.
The three left Romania at the beginning of this year, with pre-trial arrest warrants issued in absentia in their names in February.
Horatiu Potra was recently sent to trial by the General Prosecutor's Office along with 20 other mercenaries from his group, in the same case in which Calin Georgescu is also being tried. The prosecutors accuse Potra and Georgescu of devising a plan to destabilize Romania immediately after the cancellation of the December 2024 elections, by organizing violent actions.
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